Don't know where to start... taxi machine

Wazzey

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Traded for a Taxi Pinball machine a while back and have never gotten around to fixing it. After it sitting for some time, I need some advice on where to begin.

Turn it on and you get some kind of diagonostic beeps as shown in the video.
I can click the advance button and it will let the flippers work.
Batteries seemed to have leaked acid onto one of the boards and I'd imagine there in lies a problem.
Open up the top panel and the diagnostic light flashes.

Nobody local here in Evansville, IN that I have found to look at it. Looking for some guidance. You should be able to click on the bottom link to see the error beeps in a separate web browser.

Any advice
Where to start?
Thanks
Mike


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Click Here :) Taxi Start
 
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Turn the power on and off twice quickly. It should come up.

I bet that noise/tone is because it is going to factory default settings because there are no batteries installed.

The battery holder is shot and needs to be replaced first of all before you can do anything else. Once the holder is replaced, put in some batteries and power up the machine. It will come up with a message "Factory Settings Restored". Turn it off then on again and the game should come up in attract mode.
 
Your display is out. You should be seeing something as soon as you turn it on. Like this guy's:



I'd probably check to make sure they're getting the right power.
 
wow... all that time thats all I had to do to get it running.

Turning it on and off kicked the ball out and allowed me to get started. Lights came up and you could put a quarter in to make it play.

Once I put a quarter in, it did start and the lights came up (except the scoreboard) and I thought it was gonna let me play but totally went dead when I shot the ball along with a loud sound like it was turning off. Ball got ejected again, went to bottom, and then lights came back up. And then all over again.
Lights would stay up and the sound would work, until I shot and then it would shut down again.

I then tried to put batteries in, the two outside ones were fine and I had to hold the middle battery in and I could play. Hell, my wife matched the first game she played and got a free game and it was so loud it scared the s@%& out of me while I was holding the battery ends together. :)

Now, the only thing that seems wrong is there are no digital scoreboards on and some of the targets dont pop up. Only lets you play 3 balls but I figure that get programmed with the switches somehow.
Hell I'm just excited to be able to hear it.

Can you just put on a new battery holder (separate piece) or do you have to get a whole new board for it? What do I look for in getting the score to work.

Thanks again..
Love the sound of it... brings back a lot of memories.
 
Your display is out. You should be seeing something as soon as you turn it on. Like this guy's:



I'd probably check to make sure they're getting the right power.


Thanks Gib.... Yea, watching him do that in the video, looks like thats exactly where I am except for the display.

I'm totally new to messing with these. What do I need to get or do to check if they are getting the right power or something else to get the display to work?
 
Yep, display is out and the corroded battery holder is causing the memory to be erased every time the machine is shut off. Install a remote battery holder and replace the display with a Pinscore and you're good to go! Had to do both of these things on my Police Force which uses the exact same display setup as Taxi.

Also, instead of turning the game on and off quickly, there is another option - when you hear the diagnostic buzzes, push the inner most test button once. You should hear the tones again (Display would flash "Factory Settings"). Then push the button one more time to put the game into test mode. Push the red button and have it lock in the down position. Push the first black button again to move the menu to AD70 (the last adjustment in the test). Release the red button. Then push the first button again - this will exit test mode and go into attract mode. I'm explaining this step by step because you can't see your display at the moment.

-BB
 
http://www.pinscore.com/products/pinball-displays/16-ps-12232-r1

Thanks so much.... Looks like this is the one that I need. I think... My Manual say
p/n D-12232-2

I looked on youtube and saw how to do the battery holder.... Hope I dont screw that up... take off the CPU board (lots of wires hooked up to that... definitely make note as to where they all go) desolder the back of the battery holder and then solder the remote battery holder on.

Looks like I'll start with those two things for beginning...
Have to get the targets to pop up somehow too...

Thanks again for the replys
 
Ok, I'm stupid... The reason it kept shutting off was because the plumb bob tilt was almost always activated.... I took it out and now it seems to be playing fine...

game play issues...
Can't seem to activate dracula even when its lit... ball goes into that slot but doesn't do anything....about 25 seconds later the catapult shoots it up anyway ... some kind of sensor in there that isn't being activated?

Thanks again... will start looking for the pinscore... looks like its about $229 at macrospecialities...
 
Can't seem to activate dracula even when its lit... ball goes into that slot but doesn't do anything....about 25 seconds later the catapult shoots it up anyway ... some kind of sensor in there that isn't being activated?

Thanks again... will start looking for the pinscore... looks like its about $229 at macrospecialities...

You have to pick up PinBot or Gorbie before the game will allow you to pick up Dracula.
 
You have to pick up PinBot or Gorbie before the game will allow you to pick up Dracula.

If it is waiting like 25 seconds or so before kicking back out, switch has to be out of adjustment or broken or something, because it means the ball search has to go off to make the ball pop out.
 
Yea, its definitely doing the ball search thing. Lock on the right side must also need adjusting. It takes even longer. Gorbie needs adjusting too, spinner won't activate him when he's lit. Looks like I have a lot of work and learning to do. Always open to more advice. :)

Hell my kids were having fun Even with all those problems.
 
Gorbie doesn't have to be lit in order for the catapult to release the ball right away. Sounds like it is just not tripping the contact switch in the catapult.

-BB
 
Gorbie doesn't have to be lit in order for the catapult to release the ball right away. Sounds like it is just not tripping the contact switch in the catapult.

-BB

Any simple suggestions on how to adjust it? New to this.

I was just also saying that I can't get Gorbie to work either, even when you hit the Gorbie spinner really fast. Thinking that needs adjustment too.

Thanks
 
Thanks Gib.... Yea, watching him do that in the video, looks like thats exactly where I am except for the display.

I'm totally new to messing with these. What do I need to get or do to check if they are getting the right power or something else to get the display to work?

Do you have a multi-meter?
 
Do you have a multi-meter?

Yes, Do I use it very much, No. :) I can take instruction tho. Is it possible that the display is working but something else is wrong. I took down the main LED display and it looked like some of the back solder points were corroded or gone.

Heres the catapult switch. Don't know why you guys need a picture but maybe it will help me. Didn't see much on tweaking something like this in the wiki. Can I take it off and clean it somewhere?
I can hear the switch click when it goes down. The one on the middle right ball lock (bottom pic) also doesn't seem to know that the ball is there either. Seems to be the same kind of switch.

cs.jpg


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I guess as a first step, check your fuses. You can run the meter in continuity across the fuse holder. I *think* the specific fuses for the display are F1 and F2 on your power supply board:

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I still feel a little new at reading schematics, but looking at page 67, it looks like pin 9 at the J3 connector should read 88.5VAC.
 

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Watched this long video, and the lock ball on the right catapult definitely doesn't know that it is there. Same for Drac on the left... sensor definitley doesn't know its there

Not sure which sensor/spinner activates gorbi. I've shot it up there on the right and not gotten him when he's lit. Took the glass off today trying to figure out which one activates him and couldn't get him to be a passenger. There is a gate that is closed at the very top left by santa that you get to by shooting the gorbi spinner, won't let the ball get to the spot above santa tho because it is in a down position... After watching another youtube video, looks like thats where it needs to go...
Need to figure that out as well

Things to do.
Get remote battery compartment and attach
Get LED Display
Fix right lock ball
Fix left drac lock sensor
Fix/replace ramp sensors... in pic (they don't activate anything)

Is it possible that after I get the LED display and go through the options that some of these things will work? Maybe the field doesn't play right because its not in the right mode?
Just grasping....





ramp.jpg
 
I guess as a first step, check your fuses. You can run the meter in continuity across the fuse holder. I *think* the specific fuses for the display are F1 and F2 on your power supply board:

I still feel a little new at reading schematics, but looking at page 67, it looks like pin 9 at the J3 connector should read 88.5VAC.

Thanks... I will try it and see if they are ok.
 
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